More than 25 Santa Clara County doctors attended the UAPD membership meeting on April 26th to discuss next steps in the contract campaign. UAPD President Dr. Stuart Bussey, Executive Director Al Groh, Communications Director Sue Wilson, and Chief Negotiator Jeff Duritz attended the meeting to offer guidance and support.

The federally-funded electronic health record (EHR) incentive program continues to be a central bargaining issue, and a good portion of the membership meeting was spent discussing how these funds work and how they relate to the current bargaining.  UAPD presented the national legal consensus regarding EHR incentive payments — that the funds belong to providers, not their employers, and that the employers must negotiate if they want to influence how those funds are assigned.  One of the county’s own legal consultants has written in support of the union’s position in an article asserting that:  “In both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, assignment must be voluntary and may be made only to one entity.  In other words, EPs are not required to assign their incentive payments to the hospital, even if the hospital provides them with EHR technology.”  A  majority of doctors in the bargaining unit have already signed onto a petition informing the county that they will not agree to reassign their EHR money until the issue has been settled in bargaining.

The next bargaining date is currently being scheduled, and members will receive  another update as soon as the date is known.

“When you read the number, people might think, my God, a million dollars, how did that happen?”

Read full article in the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

On November 30, 2011 the UAPD bargaining committee met with the County over the outstanding issue that led us to impasse:  a “Me Too” clause that would assure equity and concessions with VPG physicians.  A state mediator was present to facilitate discussion between the Union and the County.  About an hour after our session began, the mediator indicated to the Union that the County was unwilling to budge on the “Me Too” clause, and would not be able to help us reach an agreement.

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UAPD will resume negotiations with the County on Wednesday, November 30th.  The Union and the County will be meeting with  a State Mediator to attempt  to reach an agreement.  UAPD declared impasse in mid October.  Since then, the County has showed no movement toward reaching an agreement. The major issue that remained was UAPD’s proposal for a “me too” clause with the VMC physicians, which would tie increase for our members to those of the other physicians in the event they received raises during the term of the contract.  The County is unwilling to give us those assurances.

UAPD will update you after our mediated session on November 30th.  Until then, UAPD maintains it’s position that all holidays remain the same for our members.  Until we can reach an agreement to the contrary, UAPD continues its demand for Holiday Pay for its members.

Signed, The UAPD Negotiating Committee

Your UAPD Bargaining Committee has been negotiating with the County for a successor MOU for several months now.  Although we have been meeting regularly and for many hours each time, the County has presented us with delay after delay, making the prospect of an agreement in the near future very unlikely. As if the delays aren’t infuriating enough, just yesterday the Union learned that the County has made illegal changes to your holidays and health benefits without bargaining them with UAPD.

In response,  UAPD has filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge with the Public Employment Relations Board to overturn the unilateral changes to the holidays and benefits that have been illegally changed; 2) UAPD continues to push the County for evidentiary proof that will sustain the County’s position that the Union’s cost cutting proposals do not meet the its demand in cuts; and 3) UAPD continues to push for non-economic changes in procedure that will enhance our members’ rights under the contract at no additional cost to the County.